A Touch of Destiny
by Aratelinwen
Summary: [One Shot] [Post AWE] While sailing on the waters, Will Turner reflects on what has happend over the past 48 hours and tries to put together the pieces of the puzzel as to how he ended up where he did.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the ship or anything else from the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, which includes the song.

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_Yo, ho, haul together,  
hoist the colours high.  
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,  
never shall we die._

_The king and his men  
stole the queen from her bed  
and bound her in her bones.  
The seas be ours  
and by the powers  
where we will we'll roam._

The words rolled off of the tip of Will Turner's tongue, as he lightly sang them to himself. The young captain stood at the helm of the Flying Dutchman, over looking the quieted seas that surrounded him. Had it only been just yesterday that his life had been completed… in more ways than just one? Did he finally get to be re-united with the love of his life, and then separated from her just moments later? Did he really keep his promise to his father? It was all a blur now.

_Yo, ho, haul together,  
hoist the Colors high.  
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,  
never say we die._

_Some men have died  
and some are alive  
and others sail on the sea  
– with the keys to the cage…  
and the Devil to pay  
we lay to Fiddler's Green!_

He placed the rope on the wheel as he took a step away towards the railing. Running his fingers across the smooth wood, he finally found a space that met his fancy and came to a stop on it. He then looked down into the waters, at the ghostly images before him. The waters had to be cleaned up from Davey Jones' pollution. These poor souls were left un-attended while the former captain ran amuck on the open waters of the world of the living, dooming all in his path. These once living people had no one to ferry them across and were forced to swim across themselves. How could anyone be so cruel as to forget his duty to those poor unfortunate souls lost at sea?

Will closed his eyes and kept singing…

_The bell has been raised  
from its watery grave…  
Do you hear its sepulchral tone?  
We are a call to all,  
pay head the squall  
and turn your sail toward home!_

The captain, turned his eyes to the wheel and was tempted to go and turn it around, before realizing he could not sail back to his true home…. his home with his wife. How beautiful she looked, even with the hand-to-hand combat going on as their marriage took place. A smile crept across his face, thinking about it, and his eyes closed, then the smile slowly faded away. In his mind, as he lay on the deck of the Flying Dutchman, he saw Elizabeth down the ship and Davey Jones in-between them, shifting his head between the two of them. He knew. Davey Jones knew that Will loved Elizabeth, and nothing could match his love for her.

All of the fear flooded back to Will, as he recalled everything in his mind going on in that split second after the gruesome captain asked him the most dreaded question, "Do you fear death?"

Yes, he was scared. He was scared that he could not live up to his promise that he made to his father. He was scared that he would never be with his wife again. But, he was even more scared for them after he would be gone.

His thoughts disappeared as he saw Jack… the man whom he thought stole his love from his wife… the man who had used him as bait on more than one occasion… the man who switched sides between being his enemy and being his friend… was standing there holding on to the devil's heart. That was all Davey Jones was now to Will… the devil in disguise. All that Will registered at that moment was the evil spirit standing over him with a sword and Jack just further down grasping the "thump- thump", as Will had once heard Jack refer to it.

The movement was just too quick for him. The next thing he knew was cold steel had pierced his body and the pain spread through out quicker than the Maelstrom had appeared. Then as quickly as the pain arrived, it began to subside even faster. His vision began to blur and the last thing he saw was the face of his beloved, leaning over him and begging him to stay with her. He could feel her holding him, in her warm embrace, and the last thing he recalled was her voice, panicked and crying, "…Stay with me!"

"William…"

Will opened his eyes and found himself grasping the rail tightly, and tears were in his eyes. The voice penetrated his thoughts, bringing him back to his new reality.

"… Are you alright?"

The captain turned around, to see his father and first mate standing behind him, with a worried expression across his face. The older pirate had sensed that something was wrong with his son, and came to talk with him…. To hopefully bring some comfort.

Before Will could respond, he used his sleeve to wipe away the tears that had not fallen. He did not want to respond to the question. Of course, he was not fine. The love of his life was in another world, and he could not see her again for just shy of a decade. "Are you sure this is not a dream?" Will asked his father instead.

"No, son. You're really the captain of the Flying Dutchman," Bootstrap replied, with a small smile on his face. He was glad that he could now spend some time with his son, freely.

Will closed his eyes again and took a deep breathe. He was still un-sure of how he became the captain. One moment Elizabeth was holding onto him with the cold blade protruding out of his body, and he could feel himself weakening both physically and mentally, and the next thing he knew, he was standing at the helm of one of the most feared ships in the world. He was then sailing towards the Endeavour and having his crew open fire on the ship that was being led by Lord Cutler Beckett. "How did I become Captain?" he finally asked.

Bootstrap replied with one word, "Jack."

"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" questioned Will, and his father nodded. He looked away, confused on the subject. Jack was not the type of person to help out another without wanting something in return. In addition, Will saw Jack with the heart. He knew that his former comrade wanted nothing more than to be the immortal captain of the ghost ship, but that still did not answer Will's question. Looking away, Will further questioned, "What did Jack do?"

"He saw that you were dieing, and I guess Jack's conscience caught up with him. So, when I had distracted Jones, he placed his knife in your hand and moved your hand so that way you stabbed the heart," explained Bootstrap, as he walked around behind his son. "Jack knew that, that would be the only way to save you."

Will took a few moments to let the idea sink into his mind before responding. "So, he gave up his chance at an immortal life just to save me?"

"Jack Sparrow's a good man, and he doesn't let many people know about it, except for his close friends," Bootstrap responded.

"Friends?" That was not a term Will would have ever thought to associate with Captain Jack Sparrow. "Sober" wasn't one either, but that was another story.

A small smile came onto his face as the last thought entered Will's mind, and, to himself, he silently thanked Jack for helping him keep his promise to his father. But, that moment faded away, because there was one part of the puzzle still missing. He found out about how Jones was killed and that, in technicality, he had stabbed the heart, but that didn't explain the last part. "So, how did my heart end up in the Dead Man's Chest?"

Bootstrap took a deep breath and began to wonder the ship, before speaking up. "As the Maelstrom begin to pull the ship down, Jack had no choice but to take himself and Elizabeth off the ship, or be lost to the seas, so I took my dagger and performed the deed," started Bootstrap, and Will looked down into the waters, not sure if he was happy or sad that his father did it. "I had no choice, William."

"I know…." replied Will, and he turned around to face Bootstrap. "Part of the crew, part of the ship. The Dutchman needs a living heart," and Will returned to the helm for a few moments to set it back on course.

Bootstrap pondered on his next words, not really knowing what to say, before going behind Will and placing his hand on his shoulder, which made Will close his eyes. "Thank you, for saving us…. Saving me," he said, with a smile.

Will gripped the helm then turned around, and much to Bootstrap's surprise, hugged his father. All of the emotion had finally caught up to him. He had been separated from a mortal life, lost his friends, lost his wife, and lost his freedom, but in all of his grief, he forgot that he had gained a father… a father who cared more for him than anyone else, except perhaps Elizabeth.

He stood there clutching at his father's coat, finally letting tears fall, and just embracing him for a few precious moments. No words were exchanged between the two, but no words had to be. It was a moment Will had dreamed about all of his life, and now here he was carrying his dream out. But, it felt empty. His heart was missing and therefore he did not enjoy it as much. Deep down, Will knew that he would never be the same again, and he slowly released his embrace and looked behind the ship…. back to where they had come from.

"I'm sorry you had to lose her, William," said Bootstrap, breaking the silence. "But, she wouldn't want you to be sad."

Will kept looking out at the water, and replied, "I know."

Bootstrap took a deep breath, then took a step back from him and placed his arms on Will's shoulders, forcing him to look up into his eyes for a moment. It was then that Will saw how much compassion was in them for him. His father truly loved him, and hated to see him hurting, but he also knew that Will would need some time to himself because he was still hurting inside from being separated from the life he knew. "I'll return to my post, Captain Turner," Bootstrap finally said, moving away and placing the rope on the wheel, leaving Will alone at the helm.

The captain stood there for a second, embracing the silence for the first time, his eyes not having left the direction of where they had come from. Far off, he knew Elizabeth was watching him too, and he started to move slowly to the railing. He took the rope in his hand and used it to climb on top of the railing, and looked out. The last of the lyrics then escaped his lips, as he watched the sun set and the sky grow dark.

_Yo, ho, haul together,  
hoist the colours high.  
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,  
never shall we die._

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